Fall 2: Deadpoint

Like the original, Fall 2: Deadpoint is a survival thriller that seeks to trigger our fear of falling over the course of an entire movie. While this differentiates the Fall movies within the genre, it also requires the movie to go to ridiculous extremes to accomplish it. Once the characters “go up”, they spend the rest of the film trying to find a way down that doesn’t involve falling. Even though the situation the characters find themselves in is entirely of their own doing, I’m immediately sympathetic towards them because their fear is my fear. No matter how dumb they might have been, I don’t want to see them go splat.Much of the effect Deadpoint had on me was due to the film’s deft camera work and editing. Either of the Fall movies should be taught in film school, because both serve as perfect examples of how effective a movie can be when it executes the basic language of cinema to perfection. Cinematographer Andrew Strahorn constantly reinforced the precariousness of the situation with vertigo-inducing shots below the character’s feet. Editors Tommy Aagaard and Scott Gray ratchet up the tension by focusing on every loose bolt, rusty bar and shaky plank that threatens to send everyone involved down to earth. You could watch this movie without sound and it would be just as effective. (Composer Tim Despic’s emotional score also deserves credit for accentuating the action.)The downfall (sorry) of both Fall movies has been how everything else about them is weak. The subplots involving the characters are directly inspired from well-worn action movie cliches. The dialog alternates between perfunctory and corny. The characters are paper thin and the relationships between them are unconvincing. The leading actors here–Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas and Tom Brittney–exhibit a bit of personality and sell the perilous moments with impassioned yells and shrieks, but their performances are bland because the script only gives them basic personalities to work from.Deadpoint also suffers from trying to outdo its predecessor. The radio tower setting of the first one worked so well because the camera always reminded me of where the characters were in relation to the ground. In this movie, however, everyone is up so high that the camera has a difficult time reinforcing the setting beyond it being “above the clouds”. These climbers could be 400 feet up or 4000 feet up and it wouldn’t make any difference. The white-knuckle scenes are still effective, but the constant dread that permeated the first movie is largely absent here.Fall 2: Deadpoint presents itself as a survival thriller, but it’s really an action movie (like Die Hard or Cliffhanger) without a villain. The technical skill behind the camera makes up for the lack of a compelling story or characters with tension aplenty. Not as good as the first one, but still an effective B-movie. Mildly recommended. detroitcineaste

Imagine losing your sister in a traumatic accident involving heights and thinking, “You know what would help? One of the most dangerous climbs in the world.”That’s basically the logic of Fall ****’ve got people hanging thousands of feet above the ground with more composure than I have waiting for an elevator, while the script throws drug trafficking, grief, medical revelations, and plot twists into the mix because apparently surviving just wasn’t exciting enough.Whenever Jax needs courage, her sister’s posthumous life coaching kicks in and there you go, trauma **** first movie had height and tension. This one has height, CGI, and setup for Fall **** least one thing managed to survive until the end: the franchise.